(Transcript from World News Australia Radio)
Torah Bright's silver in the snowboard halfpipe is Australia's first medal at Sochi and follows her gold in the same event at the Vancouver Games four years ago.
Murray Silby reports.
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Possibly boasting the greatest profile of all Australia's winter Olympians after winning gold in Vancouver four years ago, Torah Bright's performance in the snowboard halfpipe was always going to be highly anticipated.
But criticism by Bright and her brother, Ben, who is also her coach, of the halfpipe prepared at Sochi heightened interest in whether she'd be able to defend her title or not.
From Cooma in New South Wales, Bright struggled with her first run in the final, a missed landing leaving her with a low score and well behind the leaders.
But she recovered from that to post the second-best score in her second and last run.
She told Channel 10 after the event that it had been one of the most challenging moments of her career.
"Well, I was thinking about my brother and everybody back home and I'm like, why did I do that to them again? Leave it down to the last run. Why do I do it to myself? That first run was feeling so beautiful I really got hung up on a front five so that was a little disappointing, but I'm a clutch performer and I pulled it out, luckily."
Ryan Taylor, from the sport's governing body in Australia, Ski and Snowboard Australia, says Bright's recovery from a poor first run in the final was an example of her ability to perform when under greatest pressure.
"I don't know how she did it. I think I was more nervous than she was. I think it's just her demeanour. She relaxes at the top of the hill, she has a bit of a chat to her brother, who's her coach and she smiles and has a bit of a dance and she puts down her run and she steps up to the challenge. It's just amazing to watch. She's very much a clutch performer."
Bright paid an emotional tribute to her brother and coach, Ben, saying she couldn't have done it without him.
"He has been such an emotional support to me over the years and especially this last year coming into Sochi and I am just so grateful to him and everything he's given me and my whole family, my friends, everything. But Ben I owe a lot to and sometimes he can't keep his mouth closed and maybe he uses some profanities here and there but he is such a kind, genuine human and he's my brother but he's a great friend and I love him."
Americans filled the other two places on the podium for the snowboard halfpipe, with Kaitlyn Farrington taking the gold and Kelly Clark the bronze.
Farrington also told Channel 10 she has to thank her family for the opportunity to realise her Olympic dream.
"When I first started out for a contest, my parents were selling their cows so that I could make it here and I'm sure they do not care that they sold all of them."
Together with her gold from Vancouver, Bright's silver medal in Sochi lifts her level with men's moguls skier Dale Begg-Smith as Australia's most successful Winter Olympians.
She has another opportunity to win a medal in the snowboard cross later in the week.
Meanwhile day five saw the Netherlands continue their domination of the speedskating events.
The Dutch have now won four of a possible five gold medals after former world champion Stefan Groothuis claimed the men's 1,000 metres.
He beat Canada's Denny Morrison, who won the silver, and fellow Dutchman Michel Mulder, who won the 500 metres gold on Monday.
Australia's Daniel Greig finished 22nd.
Greig crashed out of contention in the 500 metres and told Channel 10 he was happy with his comeback in the 1,000 metres.
"Both my coaches tell me that I looked like I really fought for it and I definitely feel like I fought for it. I think I'm going to be sore for a couple of days after that. I'm satisfied with how it went."
Germany is another country enjoying great success in a particular sport: in this case, the luge.
On day five, Germany's world champion pair Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt made it three golds from three events.
Reigning two-time Olympic champions, Austrian brothers Andreas and Wolfgang Linger, had to be happy with the silver while Latvian brothers Andris and Juris Sics, finished in third place.
Germany's win in the men's pairs followed victories in the men's and women's singles earlier in the week.
The first dead heat in Winter Olympics alpine skiing history was recorded in the women's downhill, with the timing technology unable to split Switzerland's Dominique Gisin and Slovenia's Tina Maze.
Both receive gold medals and Gisin, who was an unexpected winner, says it was an emotional day.
"I mean the whole day is perfect. There were so many beautiful moments today. I cried a lot. I'm a very emotional girl. I think the people who follow skiing know that, most of the times it's on the other side of the emotions so I'll just take this one in as much as possible."
As the women's dowhill gold medal was shared, a silver medal wasn't awarded, but Switzerland's Lara Gut won the bronze.
Australia's 18-year-old competitor, Greta Small, finished a creditable 29th.
And that silver medal won by Torah Bright in the women's snowboarding halfpipe means Australia has made its way onto the medal tally - in equal 19th place alongside China.
Germany has the most gold with six, Canada, Norway and the Netherlands each have four gold, while the United States and Switzerland have three golds.
Norway has won the greatest number of medals in total, which is 12, and they include three silver and five bronze as well as its four gold.
